FFXIclopedia
__NOEDITSECTION__ __TOC__ The FFXIclopedia Itself The FFXIclopedia is a free-content wikipedia focusing on the hit MMORPG Final Fantasy XI, also known as FFXI. Utilizing the power of Mediawiki software, this online FFXI encyclopedia contains more than relating to FFXI that can be edited by any user, making the FFXIclopedia a true community effort, rather than relying on the efforts of a few administrators updating information or simply extracting everything from .dat files. If you see something that needs editing or is missing, the edit button is at the top of almost every page. The Mediawiki software tracks all changes, so prior versions of articles are always accessible in case a change is made in error. There are a few templates that should be followed for making or updating pages, but otherwise information should simply be included as needed. History FFXIclopedia was the brainchild of Ganiman, a Tarutaru Red Mage, resident of the Phoenix Server and Leader of the linkshell Avengers. The leading FFXI information site at the time, Allakazam, was bogged down with slow load times, poor and out of date information, and a constant stream of intrusive advertisements. Similar problems plagued Somepage, a database site that was full of advertisements for Real-Money Transfer (RMT) groups. Ganiman started a wiki project for Final Fantasy XI using the Mediawiki software in November of 2004 with the name FFXIclopedia – a name suggested by Mierin, a fellow member of Avengers. At its inception, FFXIclopedia had fewer than five articles. From November 2004 until March 2005, FFXIclopedia saw little progress as the site was not only unknown, but empty. In March 2005 a small group of dedicated users decided to populate FFXIclopedia with information and FFXIclopedia saw its first mini explosion of both users and articles. By the middle of March 2005 there were 850 articles posted on the FFXIclopedia wiki, and by the end of that month, more than 1500. The increase in articles and information led to new users and new contributors, and to almost exponential growth. By the middle of May 2005 there were more 3000 articles and by the middle of June more than 6000 articles. While FFXIclopedia had grown tremendously, much of the basic FFXI information was still being added by only a small group of users. The second explosion occurred in October 2005 when the FFXIclopedia's Adventuring Fellow Guide was created. This soon became the premiere source of information about this new addition to FFXI and the wiki format shined as new information was constantly emerging – alongside rumors – and the guide was able to keep up with the ever evolving ebb and flow of information. The popularity of the adventuring fellow, and of the guide, led to a major influx of users. Unique visitors to FFXIclopedia, which had been rising steadily, doubled from ~8000 to ~16000 in that month alone. From that point forward the site grew at an almost out of control rate and by January 2006 there were almost 10,000 articles and 25,000 unique visitors using more than 20GB of bandwidth. The FFXIclopedia was too big to be just an extension of the Avengers website and so a donation drive was held on the wiki to expand it to it's current domain, FFXIclopedia.org. Once on its own domain and server, additional improvements were quickly implemented, including the forums and blog system. The third explosion of users and information for FFXIclopedia occurred in May of 2006, when Allakhazam officially announced that it has been bought by the same company that owns IGE, a well known RMT group. Fans of Allakhazam expressed their outrage and migrated to FFXIclopedia. While FFXIclopedia had been steadily growing during the first quarter of 2006, May 2006 saw an increase of 20,000 unique visitors to 65,000 and increase of almost 30GB of bandwidth to 75GB. The exponential growth has continued, with the FFXIclopedia having more than 230,000 unique visitors and using more than 600GB per month in January 2007. This tremendous growth is not without bumps in the road. The Mediawiki software allows users to edit what another user has written, and at times such changes can be contentious. Users have debated with passion and sometimes with personal attacks. While debate over the information is not only good, but necessary, personal attacks are not tolerated. Dedicated contributors to the FFXIclopedia wiki have unfortunately stopped contributing due to personal attacks from other users. In addition to these difficulties, copyright issues have been raised concerning the source of information and user contributions to the FFXIclopedia wiki. At the inception of the FFXIclopedia wiki, various copyright issues were arguably unclear, and were challenged by certain contributors who felt that their additions to the FFXIclopedia wiki could not be changed without their permission. Such an interpretation defeats the purpose behind the collaborative nature of the FFXIclopedia wiki – which is intended to allow any user to update the information contained on the site. In March 2005 the FFXIclopedia wiki adopted the GNU Free Documentation License with the intention that all non-copyrighted information posted on the wiki is allowed to be edited, copied and distributed. The Forums General forum courtesy must be followed at all times. That's the basic rule. Moderators and administrators are active participants and enforcers of the forum rules. Ranks: *The number of posts you have determines your rank. :0-49: Too Weak :50-249: Easy Prey :250-749: Decent Challenge :750-1499: Even Match :1500-2499: Tough :2500-4999: Very Tough :5000+: Incredibly Tough :Moderator: Impossible to Gauge! The Blog Section Typically dealing with your life in Final Fantasy XI, each member is permitted to have their own blog. To start your own, please go here. Administration Original version by Zero